Photos: Kertu Lepvalts (kertugram.com)
From 14 to 16 October 2025, 35 members of the National Agencies’ Participation Network met in Tallinn to continue shaping their role in supporting democratic participation as part of Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, through shared learning, practical exchange, and collective planning.
The second in-person meeting of the Participation Contact Points, staff members appointed to support the implementation of democratic participation in their respective Agencies and countries, carried the motto “Exchange. Learn. Experiment.”
Hosted at the Energy Discovery Centre and organised by the SALTO Participation & Information Resource Centre (SALTO PI), the meeting provided a shared space to exchange experiences, explore participatory approaches, and plan next steps for strengthening participation across the Programmes.
Exploring progress, participation, and policy developments
The event opened with updates from the SALTO PI team on new tools, research, and ongoing initiatives, including the Youth Participation Strategy Progress Monitoring Report and the Participation Academy webinars, as well as a preview of the upcoming 2026 training “Participation ABC: In Action,” to be delivered within the framework of Knowledge Management and Staff Training (KMST) for Youth NA staff.
The European Commission’s representative, Yiannis Vacondios (DG EAC), joined to share insights on ensuring participation becomes part of the post-2027 Erasmus+ programme’s DNA and ongoing discussions within EU institutions.
One of the day’s highlights was the timeline exercise, which showcased how much Network members have achieved since its launch in September 2025, as well as the remarkable diversity of their activities – ranging from individual learning and international cooperation events to training for beneficiaries and peers, and the involvement of target groups in the work of National Agencies, among others.
Exploring participatory models, principles and case studies
Throughout the three days, participants identified principles for meaningful engagement, discussed challenges such as power balance, inclusion, and trust, and highlighted the need for transparency and realistic expectations in participatory processes.
An Open Space activity enabled in-depth discussions on topics chosen by participants. These included questions about the role of participation and the structures that support it, such as national participation strategies and advocacy for recognising the role of Participation Contact Points within NAs. Participants also exchanged experiences on participation in practice, including activities planned for 2026, creative ways to engage beneficiaries, cross-sectoral collaboration, and the links between participation, policy-making, and advocacy.
Case studies from Estonia, such as the VOLUGRAM project (Tartu Vocational College), Participatory Budgeting in Schools (Estonian Cooperation Assembly), Teen Voice (Vivere School, Tallinn) and Activism School (Kumu Art Museum), provided practical inspiration for applying participatory methods in education, culture and civic life, showing how diverse communities can take an active role in shaping their learning environments and social realities.
The case studies showcased how participation can be meaningfully embedded in education, culture and civic life. The VOLUGRAM project by Tartu Vocational College recognised voluntary and micro-volunteering activities as valuable learning experiences, developing ways to assess and validate them as part of lifelong learning. Read more on the project website.
The Participatory Budgeting in Schools project by the Estonian Cooperation Assembly invited students to design, present and digitally vote for their own ideas, turning democratic decision-making into a hands-on learning process. Find a news piece about the event here.
The Activism School at Kumu Art Museum brought civic participation into the cultural sphere through creative workshops that empowered participants to respond to issues such as human rights, climate change and equality. Together, these examples illustrated how participatory methods can nurture agency, cooperation and democratic skills across very different contexts — from classrooms and local communities to art institutions. Find more information on the website.
The Teen Voice project by Vivere School in Tallinn explored new and more inclusive ways for young people to participate in school life and beyond. Through this Erasmus+ initiative, students experimented with alternative forms of expression and decision-making, both inside and outside the classroom, helping schools better understand how to create environments where every young person feels heard and involved.
Deciding together: priorities and actions ahead
On the final day, participants collectively reviewed the Network’s priorities and developed a list of concrete actions under themes such as learning about participation, community building, resource mapping, communication, and sustainability and advocacy.
Each action was voted on, and participants volunteered to contribute. The decisions will be finalised after collecting additional input from those who were unable to attend, to ensure broad representation and diverse perspectives.
In a different session, space and inspiration were provided for the Participation Contact Points to to think about “joyful next steps” and reflect on an informal individual plans for the months ahead, identifying how to apply lessons learned in their own organisations and contexts.
Face to face matters
“It was very inspiring and motivating for all to see the shared commitment, enthusiasm and ownership in this mission of supporting democratic participation have grown in less than a year. We will continue supporting the Network with continuous expert and peer learning opportunities, both digitally and face-to-face, as well as practical resources to make participatory approaches easier to apply in daily work,” commented Joana Freitas, one of the Network Coordinators at SALTO PI.
“At the same time, discussions underlined the need for clearer role descriptions, stronger recognition and support for Participation Contact Points within NA structures. The feedback will guide SALTO PI’s future initiatives for and with the Network and the European Commission,” she added.
Participant feedback
“For me, it is a pleasure to be part of the network that has the potential to make some people more active. Actually, this network is something that makes me love my job.”
“For me, it is a pleasure to be part of the network that has the potential to make some people more active. Actually, this network is something that makes me love my job.”
“A super officer is a super officer – even if he or she is called a contact point. ;-)”
“The support people give each other, and their enthusiasm and interest for the topic, is contagious.”